The website Ichkeria.info has reported that Akhmed Chataev, a political refugee from the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria has been detained in Bulgaria.

According to the report, Akhmed Chataev was detained at the border checkpoint known as “Captain Andrea” in Bulgaria on May 19. A Bulgarian court decided to keep him in custody for 40 days during the investigation and it was expected that he would be released at the end of this period. However, his term was prolonged twice; first, for three days and then again yesterday for three more days. The Bulgarian authorities did not give any information about the reasons for his detention. They have not charged him with any violations of Bulgarian law. However, some sources in Sofia claim that a group of Russian FSB officers came from Moscow to Bulgaria a few days ago and wanted to interrogate Chataev. FSB officers tried to interrogate him under the supervision of two Bulgarian law enforcement officers, but Akhmed refused to give them answers. Then the FSB officers threatened him by saying that they would have a “serious” talk with him, when he is extradited to Russia.

Akhmed Chataev has refugee status in Austria. Before he arrived to Austria, he was kept in a Russian filtration camp and tortured. As a result of the torture, he now has a 2nd degree disability. He had been earlier been detained in Ukraine in 2010. After two months of detention there, while at risk for extradition to Russia, he was deported to Georgia.

*Text was translated by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco